Combination lock



April 3, 1962 B. J. MONAHAN 3,027,743

COMBINATION LOCK Filed Dec. 5, 1959 m 2 $2 a 0 a 8Y7 5 W 1 a 7] 2 United States Patent 3,027,743 COMBINATION LOCK Brian I. Monahan, Rte. 2, Box C12, Mundelein, Ill. Filed Dec. 3, 1959, Ser. No. 857,123 3 Claims. (Cl. 70-129) This invention relates to a combination lock, and more particularly to a lock that may be opened by using a plurality of components of the body which have fixed relative lengths with respect to each other.

The general object of the invention is to provide a lock that does not require a key or the actuation of any series of detents by means of a dial, but rather is responsive to something on the human body which is peculiar to the owner of the lock so that only the owner of the lock can readily open it. There are many chests and drawers about a house which contain things not of great value, but which one would like to keep inaccessible to, for example, children, and this without the use of a key. Keys for desks, strong boxes, luggage, etc. are easily misplaced with the result that the devices are not locked.

The feature of this invention is the provision of a combination lock which can be opened only by the tips of the four fingers of a hand, or better the second knuckles of four fingers of a hand, which when pressed against four levers or plungers will advance those levers or plungers by the respective lengths of the fingers. It is the combination of the four fingers that will align plungers in the lock so as to permit the lock to be opened.

Referring to FIGURE 1, applicant shows a plan view sketch of the four fingers of a right hand, and referring to FIGURE 2, applicant shows a plan view of the four second knuckles of the same hand. Using the line as a base against which rests the middle finger 12, the distances 14, 16 and 18 for a given adult persons hand is always the same. Moreover, there is a wide range be tween the relationships of these three dimensions 14, 16 and 18 with respect to the middle finger. With some people, the ring finger 20 is almost as long as the middle finger. Others have comparatively long index fingers 22. In a family, or even amongst a much larger group of people whom one may frequently contact, the likelihood of the length of the fingers on one hand all bearing the same relationship to the middle finger is quite small. It follows that a lock which is keyed to the length of the index, ring and little fingers with respect to the middle finger of a particular person will probably not be able to be opened by one that he comes in frequent contact with, as for example, in his home or his ofiice, or if the lock is on luggage, with someone who happens to come into contact with him.

What has been said about the respective length of fingers is equally true with respect to the second knuckles, which are shown in FIGURE 2. In the lock hereinafter disclosed, the combination is based upon the second knuckles for the reason that these knuckles are firmer, the bones being close to the surface, and in this respect differ from the tips of the fingers which are like pads and can be unevenly pressed so that the combination would not work as positively. Also, as will appear, the actual distances from the knuckle to a base line 24, i.e., 26, 28 and 30, is less than the corresponding distances shown in FIGURE 1, and the lever or plungers of the lock that are actuated need be moved less far.

A specific object of this invention is to provide a lock in which the responsive controls may be adjusted by the purchaser so as to respond to the fingers or knuckles of one of his hands. The adjustment must be made by each user for himself.

Applicants invention is illustrated by the combination lock shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

3,027,743 Patented Apr. 3, 1962 "ice FIGURE 1 is a sketch of the top of four fingers of a. right hand;

FIGURE 2 is a sketch of the top of the second knuckles of the same right hand;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation of the lock mounted in a cabinet door with the escutcheon plate removed;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 3 with the escutcheon plate added; and,

FIGURES 5 and 6 are bottom views partly in elevation and partly in horizontal section on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4, FIGURE 5 showing the bolt locked, and FIGURE 6 showing the bolt unlocked.

Continuing to refer to the drawings, and particularly to FIGURES 3 and 4, 32 is a casting which constitutes the base of the look. It contains a channel 34 in the upper part of which slides a bolt 36. The numeral 38 identifies a portion of the cabinet door, and 40 the portion of the cabinet, the line 4-2 defining the vertical jamb. The cabinet door 38 has a recess 44 which will exactly receive the lock 32, slipped in edgewise of the door, as indicated in FIGURES 3 and 4, so as to bring the bolt 36 into alignment with a respectacle recess 46 mounted in the door jamb. Mounted on the bottom of the bolt 36 is a rack 48 in engagement with a pinion 50 carried on the shaft 52 which protrudes outwardly of the base as shown in FIGURE 4. By rotating the shaft 52, the bolt 36 may be moved into or out of the recess 46.

The bolt has four horizontal taps 54, 56, 58 and 60, in each of which is positioned an expansion spring 62 and equal length pins 64. In the forward portion 66 of the base 32 are four through holes 68, 70, 72 and 74, and in each of these are equal length pins 76. By turning the shaft 52, see FIGURE 4, the tap holes 54, 56, 58 and 60 may be brought into alignment with the through openings 68, 70, 72 and 74.

The base 32 has a forwardly extending portion '78 which is slotted at 80, 82, 84 and 86 to receive respectively lever arms 88, 90, 92 and 94, which are pivoted on a pin 96 which is passed through a drilled hole 98 and fastened by threads at 100. At the outer end of each lever are knuckle pads 102, 116, 118 and 120. Formed integrally with each lever is a flange 104 having a threaded opening therethrough in which is mounted an adjustment screw 106. The work end of the screws .106 engage the end of the pins 76.

An escutcheon plate 108 is slipped over the levers, and a knob 110 is mounted on the shaft 52. The maximum inward stroke of a lever is determined by engaging the escutcheon plate 108 at 112.

Keying this lock to a hand proceeds as follows. The closed second knuckles, indicated by the numeral 114 in FIGURE 6, are moved toward the four knuckle pads 102, 116, 118 and 120. This is done with a bolt in the unlocked position shown in FIGURE 6. The middle finger is the longest and the length of the pin 70 is such that when the adjustment screw 107 is fully retracted and the lever is fully depressed against the escutcheon plate at 112, the end 124 of the pin will be along the dividing line between the bolt 36 and the channel wall of the base 32, as shown in FIGURE 6. Ordinarily, in setting the levers, it will not be possible to press pads 102, 118 or 120 fully down because their screws 106 must be adjusted so that the relationship of the pads in FIGURE 6 is the same as the relationship of the knuckles. The screws 106, 107, etc., must be turned until this relationship is attained. When the user has the four pads so related to each other that he can simply move has closed second knuckles against all of them from a position in front of the lock and engage simultaneously all four pads, the lock is keyed.

Thereupon, the user turns the knob of FIGURE 4,

throwing the bolt into the locked position of FIGURE 5. When the pins 64 are in alignment with the pins 76, the springs 62. force the pins 64, etc. outwardly, and the bolt is locked as shown in FIGURE 5. This action forces the levers 88-94 outwardly until their pads lie in a straight transverse line, the levers being restrained by the openings in the escutcheon plate 108.

The specific design of the lock could be varied in many ways in order to attain applicants basic objective. Applicant uses lever arms, whereas an arrangement of straight horizontally movable plungers could be worked out. Applicants invention is directed toward providing a means on the outside of the lock which can be related to the ends of the fingers or second knuckles so that by moving them toward the lock simultaneously, they act as a combination which will open the lock.

It will be appreciated that the knuckle pads can be varied so that the word pad in the claims includes any firm surface on the drive end of the actuating lever train, 94, 106 and 76. The pads could be mounted on straightline drive means in alignment with the pins with an adjusting means between the pad and the actuating lever train.

Having thus described his invention, applicant claims:

1. A combination lock comprising a base, a channel in the base, a bolt slideable in said channel, a plurality of holes through one wall of the channel, a like plurality of holes in the bolt and alignable respectively with the holes through the channel wall, a pin slideable in each pair of aligned holes and fully seatable in its bolt hole, means urging each pin toward the channel, a second pin mounted in each hole of the channel wall and projecting outwardly of the lock, a lever mounted externally of the base and pivoted for movement toward the free end of each second pin, and a screw mounted on each lever and engageable with and movable toward and away from the free end of the second pin to vary the stroke of the lever.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the means urging each first pin toward the channel is a helical spring.

3. A combination lock comprising a base, a surface on the base lying in a plane, a bolt having a shear surface lying in a plane movable across the plane surface of the base, a plurality of spaced tap holes normal to and opening into said plane surface of the bolt, a like plurality of similarly spaced holes normal to and opening into said plane surface of the base, said holes being through the base, a slideable pin in each bolt hole, means urging each pin toward the plane surface of the bolt, a second pin in each hole in the base, actuating means having one end engageable with the outer end of each pin in the base and the other end outside of the lock, said actuating means being movable along parallel lines and the outside ends being in normal position spaced side by side, and a threaded screw mounted near each outside end of the actuating means and having one end engageable with each associated pin for setting the abutting surfaces of each pair of pins in the shear surface, whereby the knuckles or fingers of a hand may depress the actuating means by distances proportional to the respective lengths of their ends from the hand so that all locking means simultaneously will release the bolt from the base.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 487,138 Vanwart Nov. 29, 1892 1,085,894 Eagle Feb. 3, 1914 1,341,602 Swenson May 25, 1920 1,423,691 Sokolov July 25, 1922 

